Sophia's POV
That same night, I cry my eyes out. I want to confront Lucas about it but I know how pointless it it is going to be. Somehow, Lucas will find a way to deny all of it, just as how he had denied it when I was at his office some days ago.The next morning, Lucas left for work without bothering to say a word to me. I maintain the silent treatment for the sake of my mental health but after giving everything so much thoughts and consideration, I decide to visit my parents and tell them about Lucas, maybe they will be able to talk some sense into him.I arrive at the house and thankfully, I meet my parents gathered around the dining table, having breakfast with Emily, my older sister. As i step into the dining room, everyone avert their gazes at me. A moment of silence falls between us before my mum eventually clears her throat and asks "What are you doing here? Are you not supposed to be at your husband's house?" My mum averts her gaze back to her food.Typical. My family and I have never been close, right from birth. I mean as for my parents, they were always so concerned about the company and anything related to money that they cared less about I and my sister's wellbeing.My sister on the other hates me ever since I stole her boyfriend in high school. Long story but my family is divided, everybody does their own thing as long as it is not sabotaging the family's name and wealth."That is why I am here. I need to tell you something about Lucas." I started. Mentioning his name alone breaks my heart. My breathing becomes hitched and voice is shaky. I bite my lower lips to stop myself from breaking down into tears. "What about Lucas?" my dad asks. I bow my head low, I feel embarrassed to tell them that Lucas is cheating on me, especially in front of Emily who will only make mockery out of it."Lucas is cheating on me with his secretary." I say gulping a lump down my throat as if I had just let go off a huge burden. As expected, Emily busts into laughter. She shakes her head at me and laughs her eyes out up to the point that tears begin to fall feom her eyes. Her laughter hurts like, it feels like I have been punched in the guys. "Mum? Dad? Say something you two." I snap at them pausing qto wipe the tears off my eyes. My mum sighs heavily, she drops her spoon loudly on the plate and turns to shoot dagger glares at me. "What do you expect us to say Sophia? Have you both not been married for five years? How come you can not handle a simple cheating scandal that is threatening to ruin your home?" Mum snaps back at me. "How can you call it a scandal mum? Lucas was cheating on me with his secretary and it is no scandal at all! It is the truth I swear." I cry out. An irritated look grows on Emily's face, she rises to her feet and excuses herself out of the dining room."So what? Can you not forgive a cheating husband?" Mum spits out bitterly. My mouth hangs open in shock, the problem is not about forgiving Lucas to be honest. I am willing to forgive him over and over again, the problem is what if Lucas repeats the same thing."Can you not at least have a word with him? Just to talk some sense into him? Or better still talk to his mother about it? I know Lucas will listen to you guys so please, do this and save my marriage." I say with pleading eyes.Surprisingly mum just scoffs and rolls her eyes at me. "You seem to be forgetting the reason why you married Lucas in the first place." She mutters.Actually, I remember perfectly and sometimes I think that is the reason why Lucas does not love me. Apparently our marriage was based on business. My parents' company was dying, they needed something to keep the business running. Lucas and his family showed up, they had wealth too so they decided to collaborate with each other by selling me off to Lucas for marriage. I didn't see it that way because of the love I have for Lucas. "Remember the state of the company. If you try to get on his nerves and he does anything funny, you will be the one to blame for it. Just keep playing your role as his wife. If he cheats then feel free to cheat back but do it wisely."Mum's words continually ring in my head. Even as I get home, I can not stop thinking about the fact that my parents care more about the company than my own peace of mind.I relax on the couch and almost fall asleep until a loud bang on the door startles me. I snap my eyes open and meet Lucas storming into the house with a huge scowl plastered on his face. My heart begins to race extremely fast in fear because i am afraid that Emily might have mentioned my conversation with my parents to him.Lucas dumps his suitcase carelessly on the floor and begins to pace the room angrily. He growls angrily and storms into the room. My heart races extremely fast in fear. I jerk off the couch and rush towards the door to check on Lucas.I am about to push the room door open but I halt when I hear Lucas talking to someone over the phone."What are we going to do mum?" Lucas yells angrily.About what? What is he talking about? "There is a new CEO at the company! There is a fucking new CEO at the company!"Wait, what? How come?Does that mean Lucas is no longer CEO of the company?
Sophia’s POVThe cabin’s living room is a frozen tableau of terror, the helicopter’s roar vibrating through my bones as its blinding light floods the shattered windows. I’m crouched behind the couch, Julian’s hand gripping mine, his body a tense shield between me and the chaos outside. Asher’s pacing near the door, his phone clutched tightly, his face pale as he mutters updates from Rob, Julian’s fixer. The message I just received a photo of this very cabin, with the chilling words “You can run, but you can’t hide”burns in my mind, a taunt from an enemy I can’t name. Lucas? Emily? Nadya? Or someone new, someone tied to Julian’s dark past, his vendetta against Lucas’s family? My hand rests on my stomach, protecting the life growing inside me Julian’s child, the secret that’s turned my world into a warzone.The knock at the back door low, deliberate, menacing sends my heart into overdrive. Julian’s eyes snap toward it, his switchblade gleaming in his hand, his jaw set with a determinati
Lucas’s POVThe muffled gunshot echoes in my ears, a sharp crack that freezes the blood in my veins. I stagger back, my hand flying to my chest, expecting to feel the wet warmth of blood, but there’s nothing just the pounding of my heart. The figure in the doorway lowers the silenced pistol, their face obscured by the shadows, but their posture is calm, deliberate, like a predator who’s already claimed their kill. My eyes dart past them, searching for the target, and I see it: a body slumped in the grass just outside the cabin’s back door, motionless, blood pooling beneath them. My stomach churns. Who’s dead? Emily? One of Julian’s men? Or someone else entirely?“You’re lucky,” the figure says, their voice low, unfamiliar, tinged with a cold amusement that sends a shiver down my spine. “I wasn’t aiming for you. Yet.” They step forward, the faint moonlight catching the edge of a hood, but I still can’t make out their face. My hand tightens on the gun in my waistband, but I don’t draw i
Lucas’s POVThe city lights blur past the tinted windows of my Bentley, a cold reflection of the rage burning in my chest. My fingers grip the steering wheel, knuckles white, as I weave through Manhattan’s late-night traffic, my mind a storm of betrayal and obsession. Sophia. My wife. My possession. The thought of her with him Julian Gray, that smug bastard who’s stolen my company and now dares to touch what’s mine twists my gut like a knife. I saw the photo, sent by my guy in the field: Sophia’s silhouette in Gray’s car, her body pressed too close to his. She’s slipping away, and I’ll be damned if I let her go without a fight.The dashboard clock reads 2:17 AM, but sleep is a luxury I can’t afford. Not when Julian’s taunting words from weeks ago echo in my head: “I might as well snatch her from you.” He thinks he’s untouchable, sitting in my office, running my company, and now seducing my wife. I slam my fist against the steering wheel, the horn blaring into the night, startling a pe
Sophia’s POVThe glass shards glitter on the floor like jagged stars, the remnants of the safehouse window that just exploded inward. My heart slams against my ribs, my breath caught in my throat as Julian pulls me down behind the bed, his body shielding mine. The scream from outside“You’re mine, Sophia!”echoes in my ears, a chilling reminder that nowhere is safe anymore. The red laser dot that danced across the wall moments ago still burns in my mind, a predator’s mark. Was it Lucas? His voice, twisted with rage, feels so familiar, yet there’s a chance it’s someone else,someone new, someone worse. My hands instinctively cradle my stomach, protecting the tiny life inside me, Julian’s child, the secret that’s turned my world into a battlefield.Julian’s arm is a steel band around me, his breath hot against my ear as he whispers, “Stay down, Sophia. Don’t move.” His voice is steady, but I can feel the tension in his body, the coiled energy of a man ready to fight. Asher’s in the living
Julian’s POVThe air in the safehouse is thick with tension, Asher’s words still ringing in my ears: “They’re working together. And they know about Sophia’s pregnancy.” My grip on the switchblade tightens as I slam the door shut behind him, my mind racing to process the implications. Emily and Lucas, conspiring against us. The glint of the gun barrel in the hallway, the retreating footsteps, the smoldering cigarette butt in the stairwell,it’s all connected, a web of betrayal tightening around Sophia and me. I glance at her, curled on the couch, her hazel eyes wide with fear, her hands instinctively resting on her stomach, protecting the life we created together. My chest aches with a fierce need to shield her, to burn down anyone who dares threaten her or our child.Asher paces the room, his usually composed demeanor fraying at the edges. His dark hair is disheveled, his jaw tight, and there’s a haunted look in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. “Julian, you need to listen to me,”
Julian’s POVThe creak from the hallway sends a jolt through me, my instincts kicking into overdrive. Sophia’s trembling in my arms, her wide hazel eyes locked on mine, reflecting the same dread that’s clawing at my chest. The photo on her phone,her silhouette in my car, the chilling message burns in my mind. Someone’s watching us, and they’re close. Too close. I pull her tighter against me, my hand cupping the back of her neck, trying to anchor her to me, to this moment, even as the world threatens to unravel.“Stay here,” I whisper, my voice low and steady despite the storm brewing inside me. I ease her onto the couch, her bare skin still flushed from our earlier intensity, and grab my discarded shirt, pulling it on as I move toward the door. My pulse hammers, but I keep my movements deliberate, controlled. Whoever’s out there, they’re not getting past me. Not to her. Not to our child.The safehouse is supposed to be untraceable off the grid, known only to me and a handful of truste